Magnetic earring with lost motion connecting means



Aug. 27, 1957 s. a. ZUBALIK 2,803,953

MAGNETIC EARRING WITH LOST MOTION CONNECTING MEANS Filed Sept; 14, 1951 IN TOR.

v J/arr/eg 6 ba/AQ ATTOEWE Y5 United States Patent MAGNETIC EARRING WITH LOST MOTION CONNECTING MEANS Stanley G. Zubalik, Merced, Calif.

Application September 14,1951, Serial No. 246,642

1 Claim. (CI. 63-14) This invention relates to earrings, and particularly to that type of earring which is adapted to be worn by a wearer whose ears are not pierced and not adapted to receive a hook or other device adapted to pass through the ear.

There have been several forms of earring of this general type produced. Some have used a simple screw arrangement whereby the earring is adapted to be fastened to the lobe of the car by frictional engagement with the side of the earring and one end of the screw arrangement. Another form, for example, has been provided with a spring urged clamping device by which the earring is adapted to be secured to the wearers earlobe.

It is an object of this invention to provide an earring which may be accommodated to a non-pierced ear and which does not utilize either a hook or a clamp or other type of mechanical clamping elements.

It is an object of this invention to provide means whereby the earrings are held in place by magnetic attraction of their parts.

It is a further object of this invention to provide this type of earring which may accommodate itself to any size of ornamentation or to any thickness of earlobe.

Other objects of the present invention will occur from the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a pair of earrings incorporating my invention showing the same in position on a human ear.

Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the earrings illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a modification of one of the earrings illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the bottom side of the earring illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment of my invention showing a lost motion hinge arrangement.

As illustrated in Figure 1, my earrings consist of a pair of substantially identical members, although they need not be identical as will hereinafter be more fully explained, composed of base portions and ornamental portions 11.

The base portions 10 are preferably formed of some magnetic material such as permanent magnets of the kind and character which are sold, for example, under the trade-mark Alnico. The opposing ends of the base portions are of opposite polarity and cause the base portions to attract each other to frictionally engage the ear lobe.

Each of the bases 10 provide a suitable mounting for ornamentation which may be made in any suitable manner and which may be made of any suitable material, as for example, plastic, one of the precious metals, precious stones, etc., or in fact, practically any material of which earrings are conventionally made. This portion 11 is the only portion which is exhibited.

The two earrings are positioned exactly opposite to each other on either side of the lobe of an ear. Their ice mutual attraction draws them together providing a firm grip to the ear, without the use of a piercing member or without the use of mechanical clamping device.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 the base 10 is shown in the form of a horseshoe in which the mag netic faces 12 and 13 are separated by a groove 14. Aside from this feature the devices illustrated in Figure 3 are substantially identical to those illustrated in Figure 1 in that they provide a suitable magnetic base and mounting for the ornamental material.

Figure 4 illustrates a form of serrating or grooving of the faces 12 and 13, for example, whereby the frictional engagement between the earlobe and the faces of the bases 10 is increased. This tends further to prevent slipping of the earring.

In Figure 5 I have illustrated an embodiment in which a pair of earrings of the kind illustrated in Figures 1 or 3 are joined by a lost motion type of hinge. A hinge of this kind consists of a extension 16 which is preferably mounted on the non-magnetic portion of one part of the earring and an extension 17 which is similarly mounted on the other earring. The pin 18 of the extension 16 is adapted to be received in a pair of elongated slots 19 in the extension 17 forming a lost motion connection whereby the faces of the earrings may be kept in parallel relationship regardless of the thickness of the earlobe to which they are applied and irrespective of the exact positioning of the earrings upon the earlobe.

It is apparent from the foregoing that I have produced an earring which has several outstanding advantages. In the first place it is obvious that the same may be applied to the ear without the utilization of any mechanical clamping or grasping means. Aside from presenting unslightly impedimenta, these clamping means are frequently irritating to the ear. The magnetic members 10 form a comfortable and even grip over substantial area thereby increasing the frictional engagement between the earrings and the wearers ear whereby less pressure need be exerted with my device than with a clamping device, which, for example, depends upon a very small and limited frictional area, at best.

In addition my device permits the utilization of ornamentation on both the outside of the ear and the inside. Many types of hair arrangements expose the entire car and women have found it desirable to provide ornamentation for both the inside and the outside of the earlobe since the inner surface of the earlobe is then visible. Heretofore ornamentation of the inner surface of the earlobe has been rendered diificult because the same has usually interfered with or has been interfered with by the conventional clamping means.

For certain purposes it has been found desirable to provide hinge arrangement to prevent separation of the portions of the earring. In order to provide proper means for joining the two portions I have provided the hinge arrangement previously described herein and fully illustrated in Figure 5. A simple inconspicuous lost motion type of binge permits the utilization of my earring on any thickness or shape of ear in that it permits the two attracting surfaces of the bases 10 to remain properly positioned with respect to each other.

In operation it is apparent that the wearer merely places one of the members on one side of the earlobe and the other on the other side of the earlobe in substantial registry with each other. The attraction of the members 10 draws the two toward each other against the surfaces of the flesh and maintains them in wearing position until such time as the wearer decides to discard them, at which time, a simple separation of the two will result in their removal.

I claim:

In an earring adapted to engage the ear lobe, an inner member adapted to be placed on the inner side of the ear lobe, said inner member comprising a permanent horseshoe magnet and ornamentation mounted on said horseshoe magnet, an outer member adapted to be placed on the outer side of the ear lobe opposite the inner member, saidouter member being comprised of L a permanent horseshoe magnet and ornamentation mounted on the last named horseshoe magnet, the oppo'singends of the magnets having opposite pola'rity to cause the magnets to attract each other tocaus ethe magnets to fric- 10 tionally engage the earlobe, the magnetic attraction between the magnets being the sole means for supporting both the inner and outer members of the earring upon the ear lobe, each of said membershaving an extension extending in a direction away from and substantially at right angles to said ornamentation, a pin mounted on one of said extensions, the other of 'said extensions having a slot the longitudinal axis of which is located at right angles to the ear lobe engaging surface of the member, said pin being slidably mounted in said slot and adapted to cooperate with said slot to allow parallel movement of said magnets with respect to each other to permit even distribution of the frictional forces on the ear lobe as the magnets attracteach other and to prevent the vertical movement of saidmembers with respect to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 292,810 Hartmann Feb. 5, 1884 1,791,567 Meyer Feb. 10, 1931 1,978,652 Shea Oct. 30, 1934 2,448,611 Martin Sept. 7, 1948 2,592,395 Cummings Apr. 8, 1952 

